On January 21st, the word slept was trending on Twitter. Enough users posted about the quality of their night’s rest that the word was actually trending. A good sleep, trending. That is wild, and yet so indicative of where we have been the past 4 years. Exhale should probably have been a close second…
So, I’ve been radio silent as of late. This was partially intentional (for reasons I’ll describe in a bit) and partially because I was unconsciously waiting for that good night of sleep on January 20th. I wanted to have something to say but had no clue what my message was. “Hang in there”, or “We got this.” Well, yeah but I was scared and didn’t know what I could possibly add to be reassuring. January was a sh*t show, and I needed the peace of that exhale, that rest, to refocus and regroup to bring clear voice and value to whatever it is I have to say. So here we are, a new administration, a year-long pandemic, new vaccines, and old, pervasive issues with racism, climate, and divisiveness. A lot of work to be done, friends. A lot.
I know, politics and yoga. While some say that politics don’t belong in a yoga setting or within the yoga community, many beg to differ. I beg to differ. Not all yogis have the same political views, that generalization is akin to the assumption that we are all vegetarians or vegans. Not the case. However, the overwhelming majority who have studied the 8 limbs, Yamas and Niyamas, and Yoga Sutras are on the side of human rights, reversing climate change, science, and affordable healthcare. Approximately 80 million Americans practice yoga and several groups emerged last year to get out the vote within our community. As Gandhi said, “Those who think politics and spirituality are separate, don’t understand spirituality”.
I know, the election is over, move on. But we can’t move on. The racism, climate change, and human rights issues (just to name a few) are still here, and we get to keep working! I’m going to dig into all of this deeper in upcoming posts, focusing on one Yama and then Niyama at a time addressing how we can interpret them and find ways to incorporate their teachings into how we conduct ourselves daily. Of course, I’ll explain what the heck they are first! The link below is for a great article about yoga and politics if you’re interested…
The intentional part of my hiatus was rest related too. From Thanksgiving until New Year’s Eve, all three of my boys were home. That will most likely never happen again, ever…sure, they will come home for the holidays when they can, and I still have one high school junior around, but I had 5 weeks as a family of 5! If you had told me a year ago that this was going to happen, I would most likely not have been thrilled. Even from mid-March through June when everyone was unexpectedly home, I was…
Yep, took a minute to wrap my head around that one…
But I learned a ton during those months and vowed to enjoy this holiday season like no other. I took the time to enjoy the chaos, to cook the food without feeling obligated or burdened, to shop (on-line) thoughtfully and with joy, to wrap ahead of time, to not care if they ate all of the cookies and just make more, and to have fun. Did it work 100% of the time? Of course not! I still got annoyed at the mess and the noise, but I was able to remind myself to snap out of it, chill out and breathe!
Did I miss the running around, parties and all of that extra preparation? Yes and no. The ways in which we got creative and ‘found a way or made a way” to connect was astounding. Again, if you had told me a year prior that I would be thrilled to bundle up and have an outdoor brunch around heaters and a fire pit so I could see many of my siblings, nieces, aunts, and cousins on December 27th…yeah right! But it was awesome! And we made it work and appreciated the time together in a way we probably never had before. I hope we remember this for years to come.
Remember to make the best, adapt, pivot, and roll with every wrench life chucks at us.
In many ways, this was the best holiday season ever. Yes, I have had people close to me sick, and people close to me have lost loved ones so I’m not diminishing the severity of what we have endured as a planet. I’m saying find the silver lining and pause to breathe it in, to appreciate what we have and how simply we can live happily. And yes, I am so blessed to have food in the pantry and a secure roof over my head so not ignoring what so many are suffering through right now. I’m just sharing my mindset, experience, and truth. Fight the fight. Enjoy the chaos. Appreciate the time and experiences. Rest.
Yoga therapy waited for me as I knew it would and here we are. Looking at a fresh month and a brighter tomorrow!
And the guys indulged me and rocked matching PJ’s!
As always, I am here to support you. Schedule your free 15 minute consultation to see if yoga therapy can support your journey!
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